Prince Harry 'irritated' by lack of land mine clearance

UPI News Service, 08/18/2013

British Prince Harry is "irritated" that some countries are not helping clear land mines, officials said.

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The head of Halo Trust, a charity that does mine clearance work championed by the late Princess Diana, said Harry visited Cuito Cuanavale in southeastern Angola this month and met with those benefiting from the work there, the BBC reported Sunday.

"He [the prince] is irritated about the countries that supplied these land mines are not actually putting in any funds to clear them 25 years later," said Halo Trust Chief Executive Officer Guy Willoughby. "He has got quite a bee in his bonnet about that, and that is good."

Cuito Cuanavale is believed to be the most densely mined town in Africa, following Angola's lengthy civil war.

"Wars may be over but many people are still unable to resume their normal lives, facing the threat of death or injury by land mines every day," Willoughby said, adding the work Halo Trust does is "hugely important" to Prince Harry.

"As a soldier he is seeing so many people of his generation, of his age losing limbs. And that has really brought a focus on it," Willoughby said. "I think it has brought a focus on it for a lot of the British population of seeing so many people in their 20s who are losing limbs."